Gone
by darkwriter14
Summary: A phone call sends Misaki's mom and Suzuna off to Hokkaido because of a crime Misaki's father committed.  Misaki is at a loss of what to do, but Usui once again steps in to help.  With the possibility of her dad returning, what will Misaki do?
1. Chapter 1

It's finally summer, and it's about time I put forth more effort into my fanfiction account. I've been a HUGE fan of Maid Sama for a long time, and I'm surprised I haven't come up with a fanfiction until now. Once more, though, I am going mostly on a vague idea of how the story is going to go, and I sincerely hope it doesn't turn out like my Inception fanfic, which has yet to be rethought out so that it becomes a worthwhile story... Anyway, after such a long run-on sentence, I'll go ahead and start writing.

~~~~~I regrettably do not own the rights to Maid Sama; that honor belongs to the wonderful Hiro Fujiwara~~~~~~~

The din of the bustle in Maid Latte came to an abrupt halt upon the sound of shattering glass, which was as light as water and as sharp as needles.

All gazes turned to Misa-chan (also known as Misaki Ayuzawa, or, more commonly, the Demon Prez, at Seika High), who stared uncomprehendingly at the broken glass that had slid off of her tray and onto the tiled floor of the shop. For nearly a full minute, she did not move, not seeming to see anything in front of her or hear anything around her until she at last came to. Her body suddenly jerked, as if waking from a bad dream, and her distant eyes finally focused on the mess in front of her. "Excuse me!" she gasped, an embarrassed flush flying across her cheeks. "I apologize!" She quickly ran for maintenance supplies, returning hastily to begin cleaning the mess.

From the kitchen door, the manager, Satsuki, watched with brows close-knit in concern as Misaki cleaned. Although she was more alert than before, Satsuki could tell that that she was still not quite there. Even as the manager thought this, Misaki's hands fumbled, the glass piercing through the rubber gloves and into her skin. Satsuki flinched just seeing it, but Misaki didn't even seem to feel it. She continued cleaning, the simple and ordinary pains of the world lost to her distant gaze.

_~Earlier that Day~ _

Misaki awoke that morning as bright and early as usual, readying herself for school. Her uniform was put on and her school books gathered in no time at all, and she was soon heading for the kitchen in search of some breakfast. But when she got to the kitchen door, she came to a slow halt. Something was off.

The location of the kitchen was directly across the hall from Suzuna's room. Normally, faint sleeping noises could still be heard coming from her room by the time Misaki got around to looking for some food, and Misaki would go to wake her with a sigh. But this morning, there was nothing-not even the occasional stir of sheets. Misaki listened harder, straining for sound, and she pressed her ear to the door. Not so much as a breath. Fearing that some kind of harm had befallen her sister, Misaki gave a quick knock, saying, "I'm coming in" even as the door was swinging open.

Suzuna was gone. The bed sheets were still in full disarray, and the pillows strewn across the bed, as was her habit. Aside from the bed yet to be made, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

Misaki scratched the back of her head, suddenly feeling ridiculous. She was probably just in the bathroom. _Just comes to show how odd it is to find her already up, I guess, _Misaki thought.

But Misaki realized after finishing off her breakfast that Suzuna still had not appeared, and that something still seemed off about the house. It was too quiet even for their house, which was always cozily silent in the morning. This was an eerie silence, so strong that it was like an echo pulsing through the house so loudly that you wanted to cover your ears.

Misaki stood quickly, returning to Suzuna's room to find it still a mess. Not even Suzuna would be that slow to get ready for school. Misaki hurried to the bathroom to find it empty as well, and a quick check at the front of the house ended the possibility that Suzuna had already left for school: Her bag was still there. Becoming concerned, Misaki hurried down to her mother's room to tell her about Suzuna's disappearance. But when she opened the door, she found _her_ gone as well.

The teenage girl stood frozen in the doorway for a few seconds, breathing hard, before leaning against the rotting-wood door frame, which uttered a small groan of protest as it accepted her weight. If the two had been going to some parent-teacher meeting, they would have told Misaki about it. And even if the information had somehow slid past her, the pair still wouldn't have left in such a rush. With nothing else to do, Misaki made her way slowly back to the kitchen to sit down and think. For the moment, school had completely flown out of her mind. _Where in the world could they have gone?_ Misaki thought, gnawing the inside of her cheek.

The answer presented itself sooner than she believed possible.

A note that had passed her half-awake attention was lying on the kitchen counter, scribbled on a used piece of paper in a way that Misaki had to study it for a moment to make out the words:

_Misaki,_

_Sorry to disappear so suddenly. I...don't quite know what to say because I know it will upset you, but..._

_ I don't really have a choice, do I? I got a call in the middle of the night from some authorities in Hokkaido informing _

_us that your father was in their custody. Our names were the only ones they could get into contact with from his_

_records, and we really had no choice but to come up here because trouble he has caused really does call for _

_immediate attention. __I was going to come by myself, but Suzuna was up in the night__and overheard the call. _

_She insisted on accompanying me because she wanted to see your father. I know you probably think it's_

_ridiculous of her to wish that, and she knows it, but she never really knew who he was like you did. It's only fair that she get to see him_

_and remember him just once. I am so sorry, honey. I'm sure it opens up a lot of old wounds for you, but I couldn't just_

_lie to you. I love you, and we will be home soon. I already informed the hospital that something came up, but could you_

_please tell Suzuna's school? Thank you, sweetheart, and don't become sad again over something like this. _

_Love, Mom_

_P.S.- I'm sorry, Sis. I had to use the tickets I won in the raffle the other day. Please forgive me. Love, Suzuna_

Misaki nearly laughed aloud from sheer bewilderment at Suzuna's concluding sentence. She couldn't see straight, she was so startled. It wasn't sinking into her in the slightest that her dad, her renegade father, was once again causing problems for the family that he had abandoned. After a few minutes of doing nothing but standing in the kitchen, staring at the words without seeing anything, all Misaki could do was leave for school. And without even realizing it, her eyes were immediately searching for Usui the moment she reached Seika. But even when she was sitting at her desk in the student council room, running mechanically through paperwork, the devilish boy still hadn't made an appearance.

Nothing was making sense anymore.

~~~~~firstchapterend~~~~~

And that's it for the first chapter! I don't exactly remember when it was that Misaki's dad ran out on them, so I just kind of made it up to fit the story. This just came to me randomly while I was watching my knew DVD of the first half of the show, and I couldn't help but get it down on here. Like I said before, it's about time I got a Maid-Sama fic on here. Please, please, PLEASE review! It inspires my creative genius! :P And sorry if there are any mistakes in here...I never bother to check... And, once again, I apologize for having ridiculously short chapters. Maybe, just maybe, they will lengthen out in the future...


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! Time for the second chapter! Um...there's not a whole lot that I can think of to say... I'm pretty sure you all get sick of my rants about how I'm sorry I'm such a slacker and all that, because I pretty much do it every single chapter after the first. So I will not rant! Just read and enjoy... Thanks for all the reviews!

~~~~~~I do not own Maid Sama~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...ki. MISAKI!"

Misaki suddenly snapped out of her trance, looking around to find herself in the locker room of Maid Latte. Erika and Subaru stood next to her, expressions of concern wrinkling their brows and turning down the corners of their mouths as they stared at her. They were already changed into their street clothes, ready to return home from work. Misaki looked down at herself, finding that she was still fully decked out in her Maid Latte uniform with one hand resting against her locker.

"Are you okay, Misaki?" Subaru asked.

"We've been calling your name for a while now." Erika studied Misaki's face, looking for telltale signs of a cold or the flu.

It took Misaki a minute to process the simple things that they were saying to her. "O-oh. No, no! I'm fine!" she gasped, waving her hands back and forth insistently. "Don't worry about me!"

Erika and Subaru glanced at each other uncertainly. Like the manager, they had noticed Misaki's strange behavior the entire night, and they were concerned that something had happened that had upset her. Come to think of it, Usui hadn't been in Maid Latte either. Maybe it had to do with him? But what could be so bad that it made Misaki drop things and drift into a different place altogether?

"Misaki..." Erika played with the strap of her purse nervously. "Did...you break up with Usui? Is that what's wrong?"

"Ohhh," said Subaru knowingly, her brows curving upward in sympathy. "That would make sense."

Misaki's face flushed to a red the color of blood. "N-n-n-no! I've told you before, we don't have that kind of relationship at all!" She whirled around and began to hurriedly change into her other clothes.

Once again Erika and Subaru looked at each other. If it wasn't that, what could it be? It _had_ to do with Usui somehow, even if it wasn't all that was on Misaki's mind. "Misaki...where _is_ Usui?" Erika asked gently.

Misaki froze, her hands at the buttons of her shirt, when she asked. Slowly, Misaki returned to buttoning her shirt and closed her locker with far-off gazing eyes. "I don't know," she murmured.

Subaru and Erika watched sadly as Misaki made her way silently out of Maid Latte. What on earth could they ever say to her to make her cheer up? It was out of their hands-Usui was the only one who could ever make her really come to life and bring her out of her shell. Just as Satsuki had said, she was only her cutest when Usui was around. Without Usui, they didn't even have a prayer of getting through to Misaki. That's why Usui was so good for her: he was the only other person in the world, maybe besides her family, that understood her and what she needed. He would never just abandon her without a backward glance, either. So the most important question of all was this: Where is Usui?

Subaru and Erika sighed and walked together out of the shop. It was in the hands of the gods at that point.

Misaki stared up at the towering face of the classy apartment building, surprised that she had actually brought herself there looking for _him_. Normally things involving Usui were absolutely taboo, made so by Misaki's determination to prove to everyone else that there was nothing going on between them. But with how things were going lately for Misaki, she wasn't sure of what "normal" even was for her anymore. If her new "normal" involved waking up to find her family gone and her father forced back into their lives, then it was most certainly normal for Misaki to show up at Usui's apartment looking for him.

As she rode the elevator up to his floor, Misaki had to push back the thoughts of confusion that swirled in her brain. What was she even coming here for? What was she expecting from him? It wasn't like he could magically make her dad disappear and bring her family back. He wasn't a miracle worker.

The elevator deposited Misaki on his floor with a smooth, soundless glide of the door opening. She stepped hesitantly into the hall, treading lightly and glancing around herself furtively as if Usui would jump out at any given moment. But no Usui appeared, and she made it to his door in peace. But it was all _too_ peacefully quiet, especially when no response came to Misaki's loud rapping on the door. She frowned. _Maybe he's in the shower, _she thought to herself. So she waited for a couple of minutes before trying again with a louder knock. He still didn't come. She tried a third time. By then, it had been ten minutes she had been standing outside his apartment, and it was becoming painfully obvious that he wasn't home.

A suffocating feeling descended on Misaki's chest when she concluded that he wasn't home. Where could she go now? Who could she go to? Who would help her? She refused to go home-it was too eerie to be there by herself, and she was scared of imagining a future where her dad returned to live with them. She couldn't get help from Suzuna and Sakura; she didn't know where they lived, and she didn't want to be a bother to them. Although she hated to admit it, Usui was the only constant she was sure of in her life besides her family. No matter what trouble she found herself in, he was always there watching over her, standing right next to her in place of a guardian angel sent to look out for her. And until that moment, Misaki had taken it for granted. With nowhere else to go, Misaki leaned against the door and slid to the floor. She pulled her legs to her chest and leaned her cheek against her knees as a new kind of ache began to throb deep inside her chest, nearly bringing tears to her invincible eyes. With nothing else to do, she closed her eyes, letting herself drop into a place where her troubles were gone.

When Misaki woke she was startled to find herself sleeping on a couch with a blanket spread over her and a pillow resting beneath her head. She sat up quickly, looking around as she tried to figure where she was. But after remembering where she had fallen asleep and taking in the sparsely furnished apartment, she realized there was only one place she _could_ be. And that meant that he-that Usui-was there. The good smell of something cooking coming from the kitchen confirmed her analysis, and suddenly her heart was in her throat for an inexplicable reason.

Before she could prepare herself mentally, Usui had appeared at the door of the kitchen with a plate of food in his hand. He looked like he had just come from a high class party, with black dress pants and a crisp white shirt unbuttoned at the cuffs and rolled up to his elbows. He had taken off his tie, and his brown hair was slightly disheveled. "Ah, you're awake," he observed.

Misaki felt an unwanted heat rise into her cheeks at his appearance. She glanced to the side, away from his eyes. "Wh-when did you get here?" she demanded as she stared at the coffee table next to the couch.

"I could ask you the same thing." Usui went over to the couch, setting the plate down on the table and crouching down in front of Misaki. "I have to say, I never expected to come back to my apartment and find you waiting for me."

Misaki's mouth opened and closed wordlessly as her cheeks burned in embarrassment. There was no way she could deny something as obvious as that.

Usui studied her face, noting the fatigued look in her eyes. "Ayuzawa...did something happen?"

Her head whipped up and she looked straight at Takumi. How he could gauge her thoughts with just one glance was beyond her level of understanding. She stared at him, not knowing what to say to express her troubles. Wasn't that what she had come for? Why was she suddenly tongue-tied?

As Takumi watched her, he let out an inward sigh as he put on a mischievous grin. "Or maybe you just had the overpowering need to see my wonderful face?"

Using the pillow behind her head as a projectile, Misaki lashed out in embarrassed defense. "Don't be ridiculous!" she shouted, doing her best to be angry. She promptly got to her feet, suddenly wanting to take all of her actions back. She couldn't bring herself to drag Usui into her problems again. "Just forget it. I'm going home."

Before she could move to leave, Usui had grabbed her wrist and stared into her eyes, all traces of teasing gone. "Ayuzawa, what's going on?"

Misaki stared down into his prying eyes. He was all serious now, patiently waiting for her answer.

Waiting. He was waiting again. That was what she was always making him do, wasn't it? No matter how she treated him, no matter how long she made him wait, he was always patient. And what did she ever give him in return? Nothing. All those times he had helped her get out of her situations, and she had never truly thanked him. He was probably the best friend she would ever get, and she never reciprocated. She was a terrible person, and here she was wondering what she had done to deserve such misfortune.

"Ayuzawa, you can tell me," Usui said, looking into her eyes earnestly.

When she caught his eyes again, tears suddenly flooded her eyes. Why? Why did he stay by her side when she was so terrible to him?

At the sight of her tears, Takumi became concerned. "What? Why are you crying?"

"I...I don't deserve..." Tears choked back her words.

"You don't deserve what?" Takumi probed gently. But Misaki couldn't say anything. She just leaned her head against his shoulder in response and continued to cry. Understanding filled Usui's mind, and he gave a small smile. "It's okay. You're fine just the way you are. Don't worry about me." He put a hand against her back, holding her to him and letting her cry until she was ready to speak.

Um...wow. This totally didn't end the way I thought it would. She was crying a lot more than I thought she would. :/ She's kinda out of character, but maybe we can let it slide given her circumstances...? Please give me some leniency...I'm being shoved away from the computer. Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

...*awkward silence* Eh-heh... Well... *turns away from the subject of author's blatant stupidity and laziness* I'm so happy with all the reviews I got for the last chapter! Honestly, I thought I did terribly with Misaki's character towards the end, but all the reviews I got were positive! Thank you for that! The positive reviews are what keep me going strong on this story! :D Please enjoy the third chapter! Oh, and just so you know, this takes place before they get together.

~-~-~-~-~~~I do not own the rights to Maid-Sama~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Misaki took a deep breath as the tears at last began to subside. She blinked quickly, doing her best not to get anymore tears and snot on Usui's nice dress shirt. Peering down, she realized it was pointless to worry about it at that point. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and they went even redder when Usui reached down to wipe stray tears from her cheeks.

"Are you okay now, Ayuzawa?" Takumi murmured with a gentle smile.

Misaki began to nod her head out of habit, but quickly switched to a shake. No, she was not okay. She was still a terrible person. The only other person she knew who could lead someone on, never letting them know if they were going to return their feelings - whether those feelings were good or bad - , was her father. And she was just like him.

"No, I'm not okay. I'm a terrible person." His hand, which had been rubbing in soothing circles around her back and shoulders, stopped abruptly. She kept her head bowed beneath Takumi's gaze, not even daring to raise her eyes.

Usui sighed. "Ayuzawa, listen to me -"

"No, I won't listen!" Misaki's hands clenched into fists. "Nothing you say can change the way I've treated you. It won't make it right."

"Ayuzawa -"

"Over and over again, you come to my help. You accept me. You don't lose patience with me. You cheer me up. You're clearly the best friend I have, and yet I never acknowledge it." Misaki felt a couple more tears of shame stinging at her eyes, and she scrubbed at them harshly. "I don't even deserve to be comforted by you right now."

"Ayuzawa."

Misaki started at the firm tone of Takumi's voice. Before she could move, he had lifted her head with his fingers beneath her chin and was gazing intently into Misaki's eyes. Her heart seemed to slow in her throat.

"I all ready told you: I like you the way you are. I would never ask you to change, not even the smallest bit. And don't you ever begin to think you don't deserve to be by side. That's the last thing I want you to think."

Misaki looked away, pulling her chin away from his fingers. "But -"

Usui gently turned her face toward him again. "Ayuzawa." He gave her a crooked, loving smile that instantly had Misaki feeling relieved and guilty at the same time. "It's okay." Before she could protest any more, he pulled her to his chest and put his arms around her. Misaki's cheeks flushed scarlet once more. She hesitantly drew her right arm around to his back, reddening even more from shyness at the close contact.

Takumi went on as if everything was perfectly normal. "So why were you outside my apartment?" His arms were loose around her, holding her gently.

Misaki sighed, more drained than ever, and even less enthusiastic about explaining her predicament. "Well..."

After she was finished explaining, Usui slid back a little, a hand going to his jaw in thought while the other settled absently over Misaki's hand. "So what you're worrying about is that he will come back home, get your mom's hopes up, and then leave again?"

Misaki nodded, staring intently down at her hands. "It's like I said before-my mom is too trusting. And she forgives so easily, too..." She put a hand to her face as her mind continued to spin with nauseating worry. "One way or another, I just know she'll get hurt. And I have no idea when they'll be back... And who knows what could happen to them while they're gone..."

Usui let out a small sigh. "Ayuzawa-san didn't give you even a faint idea about when they would be back?"

She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "No."

After a moment of silence, Takumi stood and placed a hand comfortingly on Misaki's head. "Don't let it worry you too much. All that you can do now is wait and see, right?" Misaki gave a nod of reluctant consent. "Will you be okay managing the house by yourself? Or do you need me to come sleep beside you all night?"

Misaki's face blared as red as a traffic light. She flung Usui's hand away from her and bounced as far back as the couch would allow. "Shut up, pervert! I'm not a little kid! I don't need help!"

"Yes, yes," Usui said with his old, teasing grin. "But I would stay up with you allllllll night if-"

The teenage boy was abruptly cut off with yet another pillow projectile. "I said shut up. Geez, how many times will I have to hear crap like that come out of your mouth?" With their familiar banter suddenly thrown back into the conversation, Misaki was able to gain back her poker face. She stood and did her best to straighten out her clothes. Suddenly remembering the food that Takumi had brought out, Misaki glanced quickly down at the table. It would be stone cold by then.

"...Do you want me to heat it up?" Usui asked, noticing her gaze.

"No, it's fine," Misaki replied, taking a seat again and reaching for the plate. But before her fingers touched it, Usui took the plate from her reach and headed toward the kitchen. "Usui-!"

"It'll take just a minute. And after you eat, I'll take you home."

Misaki's face flushed once more, and she turned to gaze out his apartment windows with her brows curved in embarrassment. "You don't need to do that," she mumbled.

"I know." Takumi smiled to himself as he glanced over his shoulder, watching her as she stared out the window.

~~~~~~~lalalala~~~~~~lalalalala~~~~~~~~~~oh, look, it's a break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, after Usui had dropped her off at her home, Misaki woke with a start at the sound of a loud crash. She froze for a moment, listening intently for any other noises. When there were none, she lay back down. _Probably just a thunder storm..._ she thought drowsily. But even as she thought it, a floorboard creaked out in the hall, and Misaki's heart picked up in double time. She sat up again, rigid with fear, and watched her door. Sure, she could take them down, but it was the middle of the night, and she was in her own house, where it should be safe. After a few moments, Misaki let out a breath and slipped out of her bed covers, edging towards the door and forcing the fear down her throat. She could her slow footsteps echoing down the hall.

_Maybe it's just stupid Usui... Dammit, if it's him, I'll kill him._

Misaki reached for the door knob and twisted, slowly swinging the door open. "U-Usui?" she called out uncertainly.

She suddenly found herself face to face with a masked stranger pointing a knife threateningly in her direction. He was tall, with muscular arms branded with tattoos that twisted around his skin like barbed wire. Even with her strength, Misaki could easily be overpowered by him if she wasn't careful. "Make one more move or sound and I will kill you," the man snarled, his guttural voice coming from beneath his mask. "Now give me all the money you got, and you won't get hurt."

Misaki took a deep breath, giving the burglar a stony glare. "I'm sorry, but you picked the wrong house. We don't have anything that you would want here."

"You're a lying brat!" The thief took a threatening step forward. "Hand it over!"

"We're dirt poor! There's nothing for you here!"

"Liar!" He lunged forward, reaching to grab Misaki's arm. She nimbly dodged and slid into a defensive move, grabbing the man's arm and beginning to twist. But before she even knew what had happened, the tables had turned and the man had swung around and pulled his arm across her neck, cutting off her oxygen. She was facing the inside of her room, so there was only a slim chance of her being able to get away even if she pulled out of his grasp-he was blocking the doorway. "You have one more chance, kid, or I'll slice your little throat right ope-"

The man was suddenly ripped away from Misaki, and the knife clattered loudly to the floor. Misaki stumbled, whipping her head around to look behind her to where the man had gone.

She was stunned into silence at what she saw.

"You dare touch her again, and _I_ will be the one to slit _your_ throat open," Usui growled, his eyes flashing dangerously as he held the robber violently against the ground.

"Usui!"

Takumi glanced up at Misaki, his features relaxing in relief upon seeing her unharmed. "Ayuzawa, go call the police. I can handle him."

Misaki nodded mutely and ran off in search of the phone, wondering just how many awful things could happen to her in less than 48 hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~yay~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~yay~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yay! The third chapter is finally up! ^^ I'm so happy-I finally came up with some more scenes for the story! I never thought it would go in this direction! I hope you like it... Please, PLEASE review! It nourishes my soul! :)


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